mark-7mag
Useless Billy Director of transpotation
I can think of a lot worse hunters than those guys to idolize. They might not be the "meat hunters" that the hipsters want to be but they seem to be pretty good guys that put in a lot of work
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Hipsters, the next generation of hunters.
- Thread starter mark-7mag
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It must be isolated to your area, then. I hunt several areas in NC, and down on the SC/GA border, and everywhere I go is slap covered with hunters. If you own land, folks are always asking to hunt on it, or just sneaking onto it and hunting anyway. I literally don't know a huntable piece of property that somebody isn't hunting. And it's durn near impossible to find a place to hunt nowadays without spending a bunch of money, because every place that exists already has people hunting it.
It was the opposite forty years ago when I started deer hunting-not a lot of hunters and plenty of land to choose from to hunt on. Seems like the number of deer hunters absolutely exploded in the 90s and early 2000s. No shortage of young hunters around here, at least, either. Or in the area of SC I hunt. Except for the city folks, most teenagers around here drive 4wd pickups with hunting-related stickers all over them.
The one thing I do see a big decline in is small game hunters. Used to be lots, but now it's bazillions of deer hunters everywhere, and almost nobody squirrel, rabbit, bird, or coon hunting. I think that's partly because all the hunting land is controlled by deer hunters who don't want people hunting small game on it in fear that all their deer will run off.
blood on the ground
Cross threading is better than two lock washers.
First time I met my daughter's boyfriend he and I hit it off ... We talked about all kinds of hunting from deer, turkey and, coon! I thought I would invite him to come bow hunting with me since the season wasn't to far away. He said he don't hunt until it cools off due to ticks and snakes. I said ok how about later after the weather cools off? We could go early one Saturday morning. He said it would have to be in the evening because he doesn't like getting up early!
What the heck? As a kid I lost sleep thinking about the next time I could hit the woods!
What the heck? As a kid I lost sleep thinking about the next time I could hit the woods!
Curtis
Senior Member
This sounds like a great program. Glad to see QDMA is doing this. It is a shame that the article ran the last week of deer season here in Georgia and when the season is over in most of the country.
I was at the processor last weekend and a high-dollar club came in with 18 does after an evening hunt. They only take does the last weeks of the season and their biologist wanted them to remove 50 does. That is the sort of easy first hunt that could be great way to get some first timers involved. I have mentored several other hunters and the ones that head early success, or at least had chances at deer stuck with it.
I am taking a first-timer this weekend and I have 3 others who want to go (next year). Any time you have a conversation with someone about hunting and they are not against hunting, ask them if they would like to go. They don't have to hunt, just join you in the filed. You would be surprise how many people say yes.
The numbers of HUNTERS does continue to decline. Any recruitment effort is worthwhile.
I was at the processor last weekend and a high-dollar club came in with 18 does after an evening hunt. They only take does the last weeks of the season and their biologist wanted them to remove 50 does. That is the sort of easy first hunt that could be great way to get some first timers involved. I have mentored several other hunters and the ones that head early success, or at least had chances at deer stuck with it.
I am taking a first-timer this weekend and I have 3 others who want to go (next year). Any time you have a conversation with someone about hunting and they are not against hunting, ask them if they would like to go. They don't have to hunt, just join you in the filed. You would be surprise how many people say yes.
The numbers of HUNTERS does continue to decline. Any recruitment effort is worthwhile.
transfixer
Senior Member
I do live 25 miles outside the city of Atlanta, so that probably does have a lot to do with it, but I lived here growing up, and most of my high school buddies hunted, and their fathers hunted, its just not the case around here anymore, now where I actually hunt is in NE Ga, about 30 mines east of Athens, probably 45mins from the SC border, over there a lot if not most of the locals hunt, but half the population in Ga is centered around the metro Atlanta area, people around here just don't hunt like they used to.
transfixer
Senior Member
Yep, even as a teen and early 20's I would spend time with my girlfriend on Friday night, and get up at 3am Saturday morning and drive 2 1/2 hrs to deer camp, didn't matter if it was hot, cold , or raining,
transfixer
Senior Member
They do put in a lot of work, my main issue is they seem to be glory hounds, and strictly about the trophy, not about the whole deer hunting/outdoor experience.
Several federal studies have shown that hunter numbers are in decline across the nation. I read one study that showed that there were more than 2 million fewer hunters over a 5 year span. That's fewer licences sold, less money spent in sporting goods stores, fewer hunters voting, etc. We're already a minority. We ought to encourage new hunters so that our children and grandchildren can enjoy the same bounty we have.
Throwback
Chief Big Taw
i had a retired game warden call me several years ago. he had driven on a main road in mid november on a saturday and not seen a single truck on the side of the road. he wanted to know what happened to the deer hunters. when he was working he would have seen probably a dozen or more trucks on that road.
the difference now is what used to be a 500 acre club with 10 members is now a 500 acre club with 2 members.
i know of one lease that is about 2500 acres and has 3 members.
Throwback
Chief Big Taw
if ya'll want to bore new hunters to death take them deer hunting and tell them they can only shoot a buck X size or a doe without fawns, or not a small buck or a big buck etc etc.
Maybe he's afraid he'll have a "hunting accident" going with his girlfriend's father...
nrh0011
Senior Member
From what I'm seeing in my part of the world, there appears to be no shortage of new big game hunters. The rare thing now days are the small game hunters, especially those owning and hunting with dogs. IMO
nrh0011
Senior Member
^^^^decrease in small game hunters excluding the duck hunting fad...
blood on the ground
Cross threading is better than two lock washers.
Raylander
I’m Billy’s Useles Uncle.
I'm always trying to expose new folks to hunting. I take my cousins, buddies, etc. I always go for small game and take a fishing pole for back up. Wether we need more hunters or not- we certainly need them to voice their opinions to elected officials on conservation issues. Otherwise your favorite creek drain or ridgetop for hunting will quickly become MTN biking trails or frisbee golf courses.. I've seen it happen..
Yeah, I think the two things that hurt deer hunting the most with new hunters are having to buy in on a lease to hunt, and then being subjected to all the trophy hunting rules once they get there. Jim Bridger wouldn't have understood it.
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There are two near you (you probably know the ones I'm talking about) that are 600 acres +. One has 3 members and the other has 4. They are dropping some serious coinage to be able to do that. The timber company is very proud of the deer hunting opportunity it offers.
Jim Boyd
Senior Member
I hunt in s central SC and am often stunned at how little hunting there is that goes on.
I rarely see another hunter and in 8 years we have never had a debate about the property boundary, trespass etc.
I was asked once about a stand that was near the property line and when the owner learned it was for archery, he was fine.
Now, some Saturdays, we do have and see dogs but that comes with the territory. Does not bother the deer one bit.
I can pretty much say the same thing about Illinois too. Rare is the time another hunter is seen.
License sales are down in every state, I am pretty sure - but that could be offset some by the loss in available hunting acreage, whether it is no longer woods or the fact that it is tied up in lease / friends / family.
IMHO, the good old days of hunting are right now. Never have I had it this good.
Best of luck.
I rarely see another hunter and in 8 years we have never had a debate about the property boundary, trespass etc.
I was asked once about a stand that was near the property line and when the owner learned it was for archery, he was fine.
Now, some Saturdays, we do have and see dogs but that comes with the territory. Does not bother the deer one bit.
I can pretty much say the same thing about Illinois too. Rare is the time another hunter is seen.
License sales are down in every state, I am pretty sure - but that could be offset some by the loss in available hunting acreage, whether it is no longer woods or the fact that it is tied up in lease / friends / family.
IMHO, the good old days of hunting are right now. Never have I had it this good.
Best of luck.
Jim Boyd
Senior Member
BTW, Illinois also issues less and less out of state permits per year.
Probably related in some ways to the Great Recession but also likely related to lower discretionary income these days.
EHD, a very real threat, also affected this. I did know of some very good farms that were abandoned. I take the long view, however. I believe that the areas that WERE great will once again BECOME great. 5 years or so past the biggest problems, there are many 4-5 year old monsters that were not even here when the last bad EHD outbreak occurred.
Will it happen again? Yes, most likely. I will still patiently work through it.
I will sunset out soon (10 years maybe?) and I am reasonably sure that anyone that wants a good place to hunt will be able to find one.
.
Probably related in some ways to the Great Recession but also likely related to lower discretionary income these days.
EHD, a very real threat, also affected this. I did know of some very good farms that were abandoned. I take the long view, however. I believe that the areas that WERE great will once again BECOME great. 5 years or so past the biggest problems, there are many 4-5 year old monsters that were not even here when the last bad EHD outbreak occurred.
Will it happen again? Yes, most likely. I will still patiently work through it.
I will sunset out soon (10 years maybe?) and I am reasonably sure that anyone that wants a good place to hunt will be able to find one.
.
